The Ouachita Parish Fire Department serves as an integral part of our community’s everyday life, not just in emergencies. Fire education and emergency prevention is one of our major priorities. Any given day, we may be seen at schools or community events teaching our core Fire Safety Educational Messages:

Have working smoke alarms in your home.

Smoke alarms can alert you during the early stages of fire development, providing you valuable time to escape. Keep multiple, working smoke alarms in your home and test them monthly.

Know at least two ways out of every room.

Did you know that windows can be used as an exit during emergencies? Look around your home and ensure that exits, including windows are not blocked with items that will hinder escape.

If there is a fire, get out and stay out.

Once you escape a structure fire, you should never go back into the structure for any reason. Reentering a burning building often ends in tragic results. Tell the firefighters what you need; they will help.

Do you have smoke alarms in your home, and are you confident these alarms are properly working? OPFD believes that working smoke alarms save lives, and we want to ensure that your family is protected. The mission of our “Get Alarmed” program is to not only provide you with a working smoke alarm, but also to teach you how and when you should test, maintain, or replace your alarms.

Ouachita Parish Fire Department considers school children a prime audience. We have a specially designed fire prevention trailer, the Fire Safety House, which responds to schools, community gatherings, and area businesses throughout the year. The ultimate goal is to provide children with the knowledge of helping their families prepare should an emergency situation occur.

Fire is definitely everyone’s fight. If you would like more information concerning any of our preventive programs, or if you are interested in ways you could join the fight, please contact us. We love to keep the fire safe conversations going.